SOLD
350.00USD+ (84.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2016 Dec 10 @ 10:30UTC-8 : PST/AKDT
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Stock Certificate No. 869 for one share made out to T. M. Suschow on March 22nd, 1853. The company was incorporated in 1852 and capitalized at $500,000; 5000 shares at $100 per. A very early California Gold Rush mining certificate signed by the Company’s President, B.F. Keene, and Secretary, A.T. Taylor. Black print on extremely thin paper. Red print on reverse side shows through. 6 ½ x 10 ½ . The printing was done by Harmon & Springer at the El Dorado News Office in Placerville. Has ornate side-borders with a vignette of a safe with a dog laying in front with paw on key; a water flume is pictured on the left. An important canal company that constructed ditches and flumes that supplied water to the hydraulic mines and placer gold deposits near Placerville, California. The company had more than 34 miles of ditch, and 108 miles of lateral channel. These ditches were critically important to placer and hydraulic mining. Keene was a politician in the Mother Lode region. Taylor was a clerk for the 2nd US Marshal for the southern district. He was a California pioneer and a historian. (Bancroft, Browne). This is one of the few early California gold rush companies floated in San Francisco during the early part of the Gold Rush. (Ref. HKA120508-12 P500)
Mining expanded west along the South Fork American River, and prior to 1852 the Natoma Ditch system began in the Salmon Falls area (now under Folsom Lake). This extensive system supplied mining camps east and south of Folsom as well as the rapidly developing vineyards and expanded South Fork Canal, taking water at this time from upper Weber Creek on the Placerville Divide. In 1852, the South Fork Canal Company incorporated to make the first expansion of that ditch, ultimately giving the company control over most of the mining region between the South Fork American River and Weber Creek. In time, this ditch system extended 155 miles through some of the richest gold producing areas within the county. The South Fork Canal extended from its Weber Creek diversion 5 miles below Brockless Bridge on the American River to a reservoir in Placerville. From here, water was distributed in several directions by laterals and other canals or ditches. It ultimately conveyed water close to Shingle Springs. Ref. HISTORIC MINING DITCHES OF EL DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA by Jean E. Starns http://www.scahome.org/publications/proceedings/Proceedings.13Starns.pdf
The company was formed on July 10, 1852 to bring water to the mines in Placerville from the South Fork of the American River. The soil wasn’t suitable for a canal so a wooden flume was built four feet wide and three and one half feet deep. The joints were covered with canvas. The flume went from the South Fork of the American River, at the foot of Randolf Canyon, to Long Canyon, then to Reservoir Hill. The flume had a grade of 4 feet per mile. John Kirk was involved in building the reservoir. It took from 1853 until 1854 to complete the 25 miles of flume. Due to oversight and carelessness, the cost far exceeded the $500,000 allocation. The company had more than 34 miles of ditch, and 108 miles of lateral channel. These ditches were critically important to placer and hydraulic mining. Reference: Auction catalog #9 Volume 1 May 19-20, 2001 Fred Holabird Americana, item# 280.
“The placers along Hangtown Creek, in the vicinity of Placerville, were among the richest in the world ever known, and the bed-rock of the gulches, running up to the gravel beds surrounding the basin, was fairly yellow with gold. Being so near the source of the creek, however, water, even in winter, was not over abundant; while summer mining was greatly hampered. Not with-standing the difficulties, the enterprise of bringing a supply from the American river was not seriously undertaken for several years. The original plan located the distributing point on the divide at what is known as "Nigger" or "Reservoir Hill." Ref. Historical Souvenir of El Dorado County, California: with illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men & Pioneers p. 107-9
“John Kirk, an engineering contractor who had built navigation canals, roads, and railroad bridges in the eastern United States, first proposed building a canal to serve the Placerville area in 1856. Kirk came to California in the winter of 1849-1850 and settled in Sacramento. He was responsible for some of the major pioneer engineering works erected in that city, including the first municipal water works and planking of the principal commercial streets. Kirk moved to Placerville in 1853, and later, with Francis A. Bishop, organized the South Fork Canal Company to bring water to the mines near Placerville. The project stalled with the general depression in hydraulic mining during the early 1860s, but the idea was revived in the early 1870s by Placerville business leaders. In 1873, Kirk sold his share to all of his ditches and water rights on the South Fork of the American River to a group of prominent San Francisco investors (including Bishop) that formed the El Dorado Water and Deep Gravel Mining Company. The company bought 750 acres of choice hydraulic mining property in the vicinity of Placerville, along with the Gold Hill, Iowa, and Weber Ditch Company properties, including 114 miles of ditches and flumes valued at nearly $1,000,000.” Reference: WATER CONVEYANCE SYSTEMS IN CALIFORNIA, Historic Context Development and Evaluation Procedures Prepared Jointly by: JRP Historical Consulting Services California Department of Transportation December 2000; view at: http://www.dot.ca.gov/ser/downloads/cultural/CanalsDitches.pdf
State: California City: Placerville Date: 1853 FHWAC#: 41700
Auction Location:
3555 Airway Drive Suite 309, Reno, Nevada, 89511, United States
Previewing Details:
Preview will be at our Auction Location, 3555 Airway Drive Suite 309 Reno, NV 89511
On Thursday, December 8, 10:00 am to 5:00pm at HWAC or by appointment.
Please call 775-851-1859
Nevada State Sales Tax
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| NSST |
7.75% |
Nevada Sales Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
24% |
Additional Fees:
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December 2016 Auction
Absentee Bidding will end Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016.
Internet bids accepted any time
Terms and Conditions
1. The placing of a bid shall constitute the bidder’s acceptance of these terms of sale.
2. BUYER’S PREMIUM & INSURANCE: There will be a 21% Buyer’s Premium added to the sale (hammer) price of each lot, which includes a 1% fee for insurance that covers your purchase during transit. This is our base premium for transactions paid with cash, checks, money orders or wire transfers. All other forms of payment are not subject to the 3% discount and the Buyer’s Premium will be calculated at 24%. In order to expedite billing and convenience of payment, all initial invoicing will be calculated at 24%. Please call our office if paying by cash, check or money order and we will gladly recalculate the premium prior to payment.
3. COINS, CURRENCY AND PRECIOUS METALS: Premiums will be calculated at a Buyer’s Premium of 17.5% (including insurance) for transactions paid with cash, checks, money orders or wire transfers. All other forms of payment are not subject to the 3% discount and the Buyer’s Premium will be calculated at 20.5%. Coins and currency shall be defined as any regular Federal issue circulating coins and currency. Tokens are not considered coins. Precious metals shall be defined as ingots, silver or gold rounds, bullion items, gold nuggets. Mineral specimens are not considered under the precious metals category. Commemorative items such as metals and ribbons are not considered coins or precious metals. However, lots that consist entirely of gold or silver of high purity, including commemorative metals, are considered precious metals. Please contact our office if you need clarification on a specific lot.
4. SALES TAX: Sales tax will apply, according to Nevada State law, for any items that ship to or are picked up in Washoe County, Nevada (7.725%) unless a current, valid resale certificate is faxed to us at 775-851-1834 before bids are placed.
5. SHIPPING & HANDLING: Shipping and Handling will be estimated prior to invoicing, based on the size and weight of your purchase. All invoices are subject to a minimum shipping & handling charge of $19.00. If additional shipping and handling costs are required, the buyer will be reinvoiced for the balance due. Items are not shipped until the invoice is completely paid. Many buyers purchase a number of lots. Every effort will be made to include all lots in a single shipping charge calculated to cover the weight and size of the package(s). NOTE: Some shipments (of unusual size, dimension, or weight) may require special handling for which individual costs will be calculated and applied to the shipping charge on the invoice. The buyer is responsible for arranging and paying for shipment of large or special items. The customer is responsible for all shipping charges. Purchases will be shipped via our approved, insured carriers: Federal Express or the US Postal Service. All items shipped Federal Express or USPS will be insured for the full value determined at auction by HWAC, which is included in our buyer’s premium. Pick up is available from our Reno office the next business day after the auction.
6. LIVE (FLOOR) BIDDING: Please arrive a few minutes early to check in and receive your bidding paddle. We will open lots with more than one bid at the current high absentee bid or 50% of the low estimate at the auctioneer’s discretion. Please be sure to bid on the correct lots during the live auction. Our auction progress is at a rate of between 60 and 200 lots per hour. An item is not sold until the next lot is announced. (We cannot be responsible for Internet bids that arrive late.) The auctioneer will identify the successful bidder by number and announce the winning bid amount. If you are not sure whether you won the lot or not, it is your responsibility to ask for clarification immediately, prior to the start of the next auction lot. Auctioneer reserves the right to reopen the lot in the case of an immediate dispute at the actual time of the sale.
7. TELEPHONE BIDDING: Telephone bidding requests MUST be scheduled prior to this auction. If you do not schedule in advance, and choose instead to call on the day of the auction to request a line for bidding, you may find that we are unable to accommodate your request. Please limit your telephone bids to items of value greater than $500, or to a string of items with a similar total.
8. LIVE AUCTION ABSENTEE BIDDING: Mail or FAX Absentee bids for the live auction MUST be received by 5pm Pacific Time the day before the auction. Bids accepted after the cutoff time will be represented live only if an agent is available and will not be considered absentee or given first priority as such. It is your responsibility to submit all lot numbers and bid amounts accurately. Absentee bids MUST be equal to at least 50% of the low estimate if an estimate is provided. Bids on “No Lots” or “Withdrawn” Lots are considered no-bids. Bids made in amounts that do not conform to the bid increment table in item 8 below will be automatically rounded up or down by the computer, or rounded to the nearest proper bid increment at the discretion of the auctioneer. Absentee bids are entered into a computer that will bid live on your behalf at the auction. Absentee bids will compete live against other absentee bids, live Internet bidders, floor bidders and phone bidders.
9. INTERNET BIDDING: Both Absentee and Live Internet bidding are available through our live auction networks. If you wish to bid LIVE via the Internet, you MUST pre-register. A live feed is generally accessible during the auction for those bidding via the Internet. Online bidding remains open through the live auction, and online absentee bids may be placed anytime. Live bidding will open when the auction starts. Internet bidding is offered as a convenience for those who cannot attend the live sale. Please note that there may be delays or interruptions in Internet connectivity that are beyond our control. Attending the live auction or arranging for an agent is the most reliable way to secure your bids.
10. NEW BIDDERS: Bidders unknown to us, who anticipate an expenditure in excess of $20,000, must provide commercial references or a deposit of 25% of the amount to be bid in order for the auction staff to execute bids. Deposits will be credited towards lots won and any balance will be refunded within 10 business days after the auction has concluded. New bidders will be given a spending limit at their initial request to participate. In order to increase this limit, you may be required to provide a letter of authorization from your bank in addition to providing references. Please contact our office at any time if you have questions regarding spending limits or references required to bid.
11. AGENT BIDDING: There are numerous professional agents available to assist you should you require this service. Please contact the office for a list or to arrange for representation on the floor during the live auction. HWAC is not responsible for any acts or omissions by agents acting on behalf of bidders at our auctions.
BE ADVISED: Auction participation through the live Internet bidding site is not 100% foolproof. The technology for this process is always changing, and the operation of it and the corresponding Internet connectivity issues are far beyond our control. Some folks have attempted to use the live Internet bidding process as their primary method of bidding, and have been quite successful. Others have failed completely. Depending upon your computer, server, host, and other factors, Internet signals may be delayed, such that bids may not be received in time. We cannot be held responsible for these delays, or for the lack of placed bids in a timely manner, or any other factors leading to unaccepted bids that are far beyond our control. Bidders should always have a backup plan for lots they highly desire. Live participation is best, followed by phone participation. We will not reopen lots for missed bids.
12. RESERVES: Most of the lots in this auction are unreserved. Gold is generally reserved at or near spot, though it could be slightly below spot.
13. BIDDING INCREMENTS: All bids must be submitted in U.S. dollars and in whole dollar amounts only in the appropriate increments as outlined below. If you choose to submit bids in an increment not listed below, your bid will be rounded to the nearest increment and you will be expected to pay the amount to which the bid was rounded should your bid be the winning bid. If you have any questions about an appropriate bid amount, please call us.
From: To: Increment:
$1 $95 $5
$100 $190 $10
$200 $475 $25
$500 $1,450 $50
$1,500 $2,950 $100
$3,000 $9,750 $250
$1,000 $30,000 $500
$30,000 Up $1,000
14. BID REDUCTION: All winning absentee bids will be reduced, if necessary, to the next bidding increment up from the last competing bid, as long as the minimum bid requirement has been met. For example, if you submit an absentee bid of $1000 and the next highest competing bid is $250, then you will win the lot for $275.
15. BID INFORMATION: Collectors often ask in advance the price level of a particular lot. We will give out the current competitive high absentee bid until we close the day before the live auction. You may also view absentee bids online at www.holabirdamericana.com. While we try to update the absentee bids as often as necessary, bids received close to the bidding deadline might not be reflected online, and we disclaim any responsibility for any bids made in reliance upon inaccuracies on our website, which may be beyond our control. We do not own any of the live Internet bidding platforms, and thus many aspects of the Internet technology are out of our control.
16. BID CANCELLATION: If you wish to cancel or change a bid after you have submitted your bids to us due to an error, you MUST PHONE us to advise us of this. Bid cancellations through mail, email, or faxes are not advisable. Errors are easy to make. Please call us if you have any questions on this.
17. All stock certificates, checks, warrants, and other financial documents sold herein are sold as antiquities, and have no financial, securities, or public trading value whatsoever.
18. We reserve the right to reject any bid we feel is not made in good faith.
19. INVOICING: Shipping charges will be added to all invoices. Invoices are mailed or emailed within two business days after the close of all portions of the sale. Within 15 calendar days of receipt of invoice, payment is due in full to Holabird’s Western Americana Collections, 3555 Airway Dr., #308, Reno, NV 89511. LATE FEES MAY BE ADDED IF PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS ARE NOT MADE WITHIN THOSE 15 DAYS. Sales tax will be added to all sales picked-up after the auction or shipped to Nevada addresses, according to Nevada State law, unless a resale certificate is provided.
20. PAYMENT: We accept Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, Money Order/Cashier’s Check, Personal Check or PayPal. Customers wishing to pay by check or money order MUST contact our office for an invoice total before sending payment. All returned checks are subject to a $25 fee. Cash received in amounts greater than $10,000 is subject to the filing of IRS form 8300, as required by law.
21. NON-PAYMENT: HWAC reserves the right to cancel any invoice not paid in full within 15 days. A cancelled invoice does not relieve the bidder from their obligation to pay seller fees and buyer’s premiums compensating HWAC for its services in conducting the auction. Interest shall run on all outstanding balances at the highest rate permitted by law. HWAC shall have a lien against the merchandise purchased by the bidder, and any other of bidder’s property then held by HWAC or its affiliates, to secure payment of the invoice, and with respect thereto HWAC shall have all the rights of a secured creditor under the Nevada Commercial Code, including but not limited to the right of sale. HWAC may sell the lot(s) securing the invoice to any underbidders in the auction that the lot(s) appeared, or at subsequent private or public sale, or relist the lot(s) in a future auction conducted by HWAC. A defaulting bidder agrees to pay for the reasonable costs of resale (including a 10% seller’s commission, if consigned to an auction conducted by HWAC). The defaulting bidder is liable to pay any difference between his or her total original invoice for the lot(s), plus any applicable interest, and the net proceeds for the lot(s) if sold at private sale or the subsequent hammer price of the lot(s) less the 10% seller’s commissions, if sold at an HWAC auction. If HWAC refers any invoice to an attorney for collection, the bidder agrees to pay attorney’s fees, court costs, and other collection costs incurred by HWAC. Any bidder who fails to follow the terms of payment will be reported to iCollector and may be barred from participating in future Holabird’s Western Americana auctions.
22. CONDITION: We strongly recommend that you attend the live preview to see lots in their entirety. Conditions are not always noted, and large lots may not be itemized due to catalog restraints. For questions, detailed information, or additional images of any lot please contact our office at 775-851-1859. Bidders are responsible for understanding the condition of items. Conditions noted are subjective, and may differ in the opinion of different people or collectors.
23. RETURN POLICY: All items are guaranteed to be authentic unless otherwise noted. If authenticity is challenged, please call our office for assistance. You may return any piece that was significantly inaccurately described by calling our office within 15 days of receipt of item(s) and notifying us of the error and reason for return. We do not refund postage or insurance. We have attempted to describe the items and their condition accurately. If no condition is given, assume average. Please call us if you require a more specific condition report. Any items that are returned must be returned in the exact, unaltered condition. NGC certified tokens that are returned must be original, unaltered NGC holders. Any tokens removed from the original NGC/NCS certification holders or items returned in an altered condition are deemed not returnable under any circumstances. When we receive your bids we will assume you have read the description in the catalog, viewed the image of the item, have contacted us regarding any questions you may have on any lot and/or have previewed the lot in person. Therefore, returns are only accepted if prior approval is given by Holabird’s Western Americana Collections.
24. This sale is being held under the laws of the State of Nevada, without reference to choice of law rules.
25. HWAC shall not be held responsible for any problem due to the bidders failure to follow the rules, terms and conditions of this sale, or any failure to bid due to the loss of the online auction process provided by any of the online auction networks; or missed bids, changed bids or cancelled due the bidders failure to follow the proper bidding procedure outlined herein.
26. By placing a bid or otherwise participating in the auction, Bidder accepts these Terms and Conditions, and specifically agrees to the dispute resolution provided herein.
27. HWAC shall not be responsible for consequential damages, incidental damages, compensatory damages, or any other damages arising or claimed to be arising from the auction on any lot. Bidder’s sole remedy for any proven act or omission shall be rescission of sale and refund of the amount paid by Bidder.
28. Any claim, dispute, or controversy in connection with, relating to and/or arising out of the Auction, participation in the Auction, award of lots, damages of claims to lots, descriptions, condition reports, provenance, estimates, return and warranty rights, any interpretation of these Terms and Conditions, any alleged verbal modification of these Terms and Conditions and/or any purported settlement shall be exclusively heard by, and the parties consent to exclusive in personal jurisdiction of, the Superior Court of Washoe County, Nevada. THE PARTIES EXPRESSLY WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY. Any claim must be brought within one (1) year of the auction from which the claim arose or the claim is waived. In every case, the prevailing party shall be entitled to an award of its attorney’s fees and costs.